Frog Bog: 6 Simple Steps to Build One

The world is fast-changing, and frogs are among the many creatures struggling to keep up. They face many threats in the wild, from habitat loss to predatory species. Through lots of nature-based learning activities, such as building frog bogs, we can make a difference to our amphibian friends. A frog bog is among the many conservation-themed activities to get kids excited about science. With a few simple materials like containers, water, and varied food, frogs appreciate it when you offer them a safe place to live.

In this blog post, we discuss some simple steps to help kids build a frog bog, especially with the approaching spring season when most frogs search for cool water bodies.

Helping Frogs in Spring

Spring is coming, and as usual, frogs leave their sheds and log piles to search for breeding ponds. If you live near a water body, you may be confronted by beautiful frogs with colours ranging from bright green to brown. Our hopping friends soon fill every pond with spawn in an attempt to bring to life a new generation.

It’s worth trying to teach your kids to embrace frogs through various spring classroom activities. Some tips to help frogs as spring approaches include:

• Planting native plants in the garden to provide them with food and shelter
• Keeping several dishes of water at strategic points outside
• Tidying your garden and keeping it pesticide-free
• Creating sheds and hiding spots for frogs to lay eggs
• Building small ponds or ditches in the garden

How to Build a Frog Bog

Teach your children to give frogs a safe habitat by constructing their own frog bogs. This is one of the easiest classroom nature activities kids will love. Here’s how:

1. Before you start

Select an area that’s free from large trees to protect the water in the bog from contamination by falling leaves. Also, avoid areas where you commonly spray pesticides. Chemicals will harm the food and water the frogs depend on and endanger their population. Finally, beware that frogs can be noisy.

2. Come up with a design

After selecting a suitable area for your bog, go ahead and design it. Bear in mind that the pond should have different depths for easier movement of the frogs in and out of the water. Varying deepness also helps them regulate their temperatures.

3. Dig a pit and line your pond

Dig a pit that’s big enough to accommodate your container. While in the hole, the container should be on the same level as the ground. After placing the container in the pit, add some sand and gravel to its bottom. Follow this up by adding some pebbles and rocks to the bog surrounding to build grips that frogs can use while exiting the pond.

4. Add plants around the bog

You can now plant some reeds and sedge around the pond. Frogs rely on them for food and shelter. The plants will also help purify the pond water.

5. Fill the bog with water

This is a simple process, but you have to be very careful, especially with contaminated water. Water in most parts of Australia is chlorinated. Therefore, allow it to sit in the sun for five days before pouring it into your pond.

6. Keep your frog bog safe

A lot can go wrong with unprotected ponds. Therefore, cover the bog with mesh to protect kids from falling inside.

Conclusion

A frog bog is an excellent spring classroom activity to help kids learn while having fun. Your role is to ensure they grow and develop well while embracing the environment and its habitats. Through the above simple steps of building a frog bog, kids can design an excellent amphibian paradise in their backyard.